On April 23, Deluxe Mastering celebrated 10 years since opening its doors. Our sincere thanks all clients who’ve helped make it happen.

Jack the Bear recently mastered EPs for You Am I (for digital and vinyl release), Eat The Damn Orange, Them Bruins, singles for Lama (produced by Jonathan Dreyfus), El Colosso (mixed by Jez Giddings at Hothouse), Smoke Stack Rhino, US act Street Rock Mafia, and new album for Daniel Tooze. Music workshops have been held to support new artists, inspirational videos are now on his new You Tube channel, along with a new video podcast series “Melbourne UNreal”.

In May, Adam Dempsey marked 30 years in audio and 21 years of mastering professionally “with more thanks than I can verbalise, to all who create the music and generate the goosebumps in the first place”. Recent projects include releases for Alex Watts (mixed by Jez Giddings), Andy McGarvie (mixed by Sam Lowe), Big Smoke (7 inch vinyl for Record Store Day), The Earthmen, Frida, In Capital, Justin Yap Band, On Diamond (Lisa Salvo and band), Masco Sound System (vinyl), The Sand Dollars, The Settlement, Slim Dime (produced by Matt Walker), and Tetrahedra.

Sincere condolences to family and friends of Adrian Slattery of Big Smoke, who tragically passed away in May from cancer.

Adam Dempsey marked 21 years of mastering professionally.

Andrei Eremin has found himself mastering releases for Sticky Fingers, Cleopold, Tiny Little Houses, GL, Foreign/National, Anatole, Ara Koufax, Rainbow Chan, Audego, Brightly, Darts, Buoy and Alba, as well as many debut releases for new artists.

From all at Deluxe Mastering, thank you to all clients for having us on board with their projects this year. Here’s to a healthy, safe and musically prosperous festive season and new year ahead. We encourage you to go for the gift of music: take someone out to a gig, buy music lessons, support a local radio station or an independent artist’s new release. With avenues such as Bandcamp it’s never been simpler to find new music, to pre-order vinyl or CDs, or gift a download to someone in need. (tip: the downloads sound better than web streaming!).

We’re still on board for mastering sessions including from early Jan.

Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has been mastering for Acolyte, Black Aces, the Blancos, Citizen Kay, Crooked Colurs, Desert Bones, Levingstone, Neighbourhood Youth, and continuing his motivational speaking engagements – look out for more in the new year.

Adam Dempsey is set to donate mastering time to prize winners of this year’s Triple R Radiothon, PBS FM’s Radio Festival, and the winner of the Darebin Music Feast Songwriters Award (congrats to Mabel Windred-Wornes of Charm of Finches!).

Mastering has included a Christmas single from Burrowing (Norway), and releases from Mitch Power (produced by Jeff Lang), Brian El Dorado (tracked live to 24-track tape by Fraser Montgomery at The Aviary), the debut EP for Vinten (produced by Nick Huggins), a single for Brisbane band Devel, new albums for Michael Plater (engineered and mixed by Neil Thomason at Headgap), new singles for Hoodlem, and Tetrahedra (see their single-take video below), as well as checking a steady run of clients’ vinyl test pressings and being increasingly impressed with the quality (mastered with full dynamic range and to high resolution always!).

Here at Deluxe Mastering we found ourselves EQ’ing with two hands again using the Sontec MES-432 mastering EQ while the stereo-ganged 6-band Sontec MES-462 EQ was out for a week being serviced. The 432 was formerly owned by US mastering engineer Joe Gastwirt, and the 462 from Frankford Wayne Mastering, NYC – both are original units used extensively on countless hit records.

While collecting his US double platinum plaque for The Neighbourhood, Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has also been finishing off projects for My Old Dutch, Sidewalk Diamonds, The Moonmen, Buck Yeah, Stray Melodics, La Mar, Captive, Spencer P Jones, Myyth, Headclouds and a double mix CD for international DJ / producer Hernan Cattaneo for the on-going Balance series.

Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has mastered new projects for Dallas Crane, Damn The Maps, Electro Mafia, King of the North (for CD and vinyl), Royston Vasie, N’fa (for vinyl), Cornershop Kids, The Neighbourhood, Ten Cent Pistols, and more.

The Jack the Bear Foundation has had a another very successful mastering drive. Thanks to clients’ generosity and support we managed to raise $800 for Free To Shine to help them with their amazing and dedicated work in helping combat sex trafficking.

Andrei Eremin has remastered a track by Japanese Wallpaper to feature in an upcoming film “Wish I Was Here” by Zach Braff, as well as new tunes by Rat & Co, Fractures, Klo, Martin King, Milwaukee Banks, House Of Laurence, Boats, The Ship Shape, DXHeaven and Return To Youth.